


Learning to fly, but I ain't got wings

by alchemise



Category: Batwoman (TV 2019), Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Action, Crossover, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kate/Sophie UST, Team Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21815827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemise/pseuds/alchemise
Summary: For the briefest of moments, Kate thought they might actually succeed and defeat Sharp easily, even without Batman at their side.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Kate Kane
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Learning to fly, but I ain't got wings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UndeadRobins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadRobins/gifts).



> Batwoman: takes place before Crisis on Infinite Earths (and written before it aired!).
> 
> Titans: takes place after season 2.
> 
> With much thanks to my betas: kalypsobean and GlassesOfJustice!

"We need to bring Bruce home."

Kate forced herself not to visibly start. She'd known someone was following her for a while, as she spent the day running errands in the name of her real estate project. But even so, when he finally spoke it was a surprise; he'd gotten much closer to her than she'd suspected.

The voice itself, however, was shockingly familiar.

" _Dick??_ "

She turned in astonishment and there he was. Older than when she'd last seen him—they'd still been kids then, Bruce's ward and young cousin, forever getting up to no good—but he was still the same somehow. It was his smile, she thought, a little hesitant but kind. She'd always liked his smile.

"Hey, Katie."

That earned him an arched eyebrow. As a little kid, she'd gone along with the nickname, but it had never really suited her.

"Sorry, I mean, Kate." He smiled again, and some of the innocence of childhood came rushing back. After they'd lost Beth and her mom, Dick had been there for her, a friend when she most needed one.

Kate returned his smile. "That's better." Then it finally clicked what he'd led with, and the smile vanished in an instant. "What do you mean, we need to bring Bruce home?"

Dick had clearly been lost for a moment in nostalgia as well, but also came crashing back to the present. "There's danger coming, something that none of us can deal with alone. We need Batman."

He looked like he wasn't sure what her reaction to that would be. It was the horrible truth behind their childhoods: why exactly Kate's cousin had chosen to raise an orphaned young boy and what he'd been training Dick for all along. Only she'd figured that truth out on her own. She loved her cousin and always would, but she didn't think she'd ever forgive him for the life he'd thrust that little boy into.

And now there was no escaping what they'd both become.

She gave him a look of understanding but didn't pursue the subject. "Alright, let's talk. I think you know where."

Dick nodded, as they headed toward the Batcave.

\------------------------------------------------

"He calls himself Sharp. He's been locked up in Arkham for fourteen years, since Bruce put him there." Dick was showing her files from a flash drive, a complete dossier on Sharp. Or mostly complete, anyway.

"I remember him. I also remember you and Bruce being away on 'vacation' after Batman and Robin defeated him. I take it that fight didn't go so well?"

Dick frowned. "No, it didn't. Sharp nearly killed both of us. He's a metahuman. He can control metal, Kate. Or maybe even more than that; it seemed like bladed objects in general. We never even figured out how. But it made him nearly unbeatable."

Kate gave him a look of empathy. "You were just a kid then."

Dick chose not to continue that line of conversation, not that Kate could blame him. "So are you just doing this on your own, down here? The whole Batwoman thing?"

"Ah, no. You remember Lucius Fox? Believe it or not, his son, Luke, is working with me."

"Luke? Holy shit! I remember meeting him when we were kids. He was such a little geek. So he's your sidekick?"

The look on Kate's face must have communicated what she was about to say, because Dick cut in first, "Hey, not knocking the sidekick thing. Robin, remember? I just mean that it's great you've got help."

"What about you? That must have been you with the Titans, but last I'd heard, you'd become a cop?"

"Yeah, I did, but it didn't last. I'm back with the Titans, only it's new Titans this time around. And I'm not Robin anymore."

She was surprised to hear that but also pleased. Hopefully it meant that Dick was figuring out who he was out from under Bruce's shadow. "Yeah? What do you go by, then?"

"I've got a new look but still working on the name." He steered them back to the subject at hand. "But the Titans, that's how I know about Sharp being back. One of my new friends, Rachel, she can _see_ things, sometimes. Sort of visions, I guess. She called me up yesterday, said she saw Sharp and what seemed to be the future of Gotham, and none of it looked good. And a vigilante I kind of figured had to be you. She saw a woman in a bat costume with red hair who, I found out from some pretty basic searching, happened to show up right when you came back to town. She saw you die, Kate, all alone."

Kate was stunned. "That's why you came back. To save me?"

"That's the plan. You can't defeat Sharp on your own. Batman and I barely could last time. We need him and any other help we can get. I'd bring the rest of the Titans in, but the past few weeks, things have been rough, to say the least. I guess I'm just trying to find a way to protect everyone I care about, if that's even possible."

She definitely sympathized with that desire, having failed herself at it lately. "What makes you think we can even find Bruce? No one's seen him in years."

Dick winced. "I, uh, had dinner with him a few weeks ago." The look on Kate's face must have said it all. "Look, Bruce does what he wants. He comes and goes. I thought maybe after he helped us with something recently that he'd decided to come back home, return to Gotham and be Batman again. Except he's not answering any of my calls. He's just gone. Again."

She believed him, the whole story. After so many years, she still trusted Dick instantly. "Alright. Where do we start?"

"Yeah, you're not going to like that part. His name's Jason."

\------------------------------------------------

"This is the chick you were talking about? Damn!"

Dick was right; she didn't like Jason.

She also didn't like the fact that this Jason was apparently crashing in Wayne Manor. "What are you doing here? This is my cousin's house."

"I fucking live here, lady. Well sometimes, anyway. Figured I'd stick around when Dick says he's got an old friend I should meet. Hey wait, Bruce is your cousin?? Does that mean we're kinda related?"

Kate put two and two together. She realized why Dick hadn't given her all the details beforehand. "You're Bruce's new ward?"

At her side, Dick winced a little and nodded to confirm. Jason was just a kid, but then she'd realized that Bruce liked to start them young. It was a subject she knew that she and her cousin would never see eye to eye on, assuming they ever got a chance to argue it out. Kate believed in training and maturity; Bruce apparently wanted to raise warriors from the start.

Jason dismissed the whole 'ward' thing with, "Whatever, I'm the new fucking Robin."

Kate turned back to Dick. "So he's a little Dick, then?"

"Hey!" Jason's indignation was somehow sweet.

"Ha ha ha." Dick looked equally unamused. Kate guessed she wasn't the first one to make that joke.

Dick had apparently had enough of messing around and directed them back to the mission at hand. "Jason, we need your help. To save Gotham. We need to find Bruce, too."

"You want me to come back to the Titans?" Jason didn't look very happy about the idea, and Kate wondered what had gone down between all of them to drive this new Robin off on his own. "And fuck Bruce; he's the one who fucking left."

If Kate had anything to do with it, though, he wouldn't be on his own any longer. "No, not with the Titans, and I agree, Bruce left Gotham; we can do this without him. You'll be fighting alongside me."

"Well, who the fuck are you then?"

Kate smiled. "I'm Batwoman."

\------------------------------------------------

For the briefest of moments, Kate thought they might actually succeed and defeat Sharp easily, even without Batman at their side. Dick and Luke had cautioned that they take things slowly, track down Bruce and learn more about Sharp's operation. But Kate (and Jason, for that matter) disagreed. She'd taken on Bruce's mantle; if there was a threat to Gotham, she would handle it, and handle it immediately.

They seemed to have the element of surprise going in, in that the building only had a few goons waiting for them who were easily dispatched without raising an alarm. She almost thought they might walk right up to Sharp and take him down. Unfortunately, then reality crashed home.

Jason had been taking the lead through the now seemingly empty shipping company offices (he had insisted on doing such), when the explosion went off. It had clearly been set as a trap, targeted at a single individual or small group. And Jason had walked right into it. She and Dick were only lucky they'd been more spread out.

Before Jason could even react, the explosion threw him across the room and right through a window. Thankfully, they were on the first floor, so he didn't have a long fall to contend with. 

Dick frantically called out on his comms, "Jason, are you alright?"

"Fuck. No, I'm not alright, you ass. Fuck, that hurt."

Dick sighed, obviously in relief.

Jason's following words didn't come through so clearly. "…landed… fuck… trash… what the… stinks…"

Kate could barely make out what he was saying and asked Luke for the answers. "Luke, you hear this? What's happening? We're having trouble communicating."

The response was choppy. "There's… problem… don't know… fix it… I think…" Before she could respond, Luke came back in with, "I see a timer… know… soon… shit… run!"

Kate could hear Dick telling Jason to get out of the area, away from the building. She grabbed ahold of Dick's arm and turned them back toward the exit. She hated the feeling that she wasn't just endangering her own life but now Dick's and Jason's as well. It was exactly why she preferred being the only one in the fight; a team was just other people you could get killed.

When the blast hit, it wasn't so much an explosion but a burst of air as an unknown number of objects suddenly rushed toward them from somewhere. Kate couldn't even tell if Sharp was controlling them or if it was all automatic. Fucking technology, just like she relied on from what Bruce left behind. And this time, her technology, and Dick's, weren't good enough, as their suits proved useless in the face of whatever Sharp's blades were made of.

The first blade hit her before she'd even taken a step, slicing through the bat mask on the top of her head. The blow stunned her, and then immediate hot wetness followed, pouring down the left side of her face. She wondered if it had torn through the bat ear.

The second blade hit her right hip, more shallowly but enough to stagger her. She heard Dick cry out in pain at the same time, clearly struck by a more accurately targeted blow. Kate grabbed him more tightly and lunged for the door and the safety of Gotham's nighttime streets.

She could only hope that Jason got clear in time.

\------------------------------------------------

Kate stopped herself from shouting in pain, as Dick lost his footing and almost took the both of them down. She steadied herself against a wall, while gripping more tightly around his waist. Dick groaned in response. He was barely conscious, only moving forward with her help through sheer force of will, she imagined.

Not that she was much better off herself. The gash in her side burned, although at least the flow of blood dripping down her leg seemed to have slowed. That same wetness spilling down her face hadn't, however. She kept telling herself it was just a scalp wound—they bled a lot—but she couldn't help feeling panicked at how much blood she was losing. She felt increasingly cold and couldn't tell if the trouble she was having walking was due to Dick's weight or her own injuries. If she faltered, Dick wouldn't have a chance, not with the deep wound on his upper back. It was already dumb luck that his spine hadn't been hit.

Kate realized she didn't have a choice; there was only one place nearby she could take them for help, but doing so might mean crossing a line she could never come back from.

She managed to get them both to Mary's clinic as quickly as their awkward, pained stumbling could take them. At least she was confident that Mary would be there; her sister had been spending most of her time at her clinic since Catherine was killed. Once through the door, Kate fell to her knees as Dick slipped through her arms to the floor. He didn't even cry out when he hit the ground: not a good sign.

Mary came rushing toward them and started to work on Dick before Kate could even catch her breath enough to explain what this was all about. Through her own pain and exhaustion, she couldn't help but feel proud of her sister. Somewhere along the way Mary had become this caring, methodical, competent professional; Kate just wished she had noticed it happening earlier. 

Suddenly Mary's hands were on Kate's face, and Kate realized she must have blacked out for a second.

"Hey, Batwoman! Stay with me. How badly are you hurt?"

"It looks worse than it is."

"Uh huh, sure." Mary passed Kate a clean cloth. "Hold this to your head. Your friend's in bad shape, so I need to make sure he's going to make it first. But just, don't go anywhere, okay?"

Kate gave her a grim smile and then tried to make herself more comfortable while waiting to hear that Dick would be alright. She'd have liked to help Mary with him but could feel herself drifting away again.

She woke as Mary crouched down by her side. "You doing okay here?" Kate heard calmness in her sister's voice and knew then that Mary had saved the day again.

"Just needed to rest my eyes a bit."

"You know this whole stoic act is bullshit, right?"

Kate didn't dignify that with a response. "How is he?"

Mary moved the cloth away from Kate's head. The pulling sensation made her wince. "He's stable and very lucky. Judging by his scars, I'm guessing this isn't his first time recovering from something like this."

"No, it's really not."

Mary gave Kate a look she couldn't quite read: something like expectant but nervous. Then Kate realized what it must mean, as Mary said, a little tentatively, "I'm going to have to take your mask off."

Kate had been waiting anxiously for this inevitability. "I know."

Kate gingerly removed the mask and wig, trying not to let anything brush against her wound. It still hurt like hell. The pain was bad enough that it distracted her from studying Mary's reaction for a moment. Then she stared into her sister's eyes and looked for what was there.

Mary didn't look pissed or even stunned, really. She just nodded, like everything suddenly made sense to her. "Okay." Kate heard acceptance in Mary's voice and realized it was more than she could have asked for. "Let me get you patched up."

\------------------------------------------------

Kate lay resting on one of the clinic beds. Her head and side hurt, but Mary had sewn both wounds closed with expert precision, so things could have been much worse. Dick lay on the bed next to her, still unconscious but breathing easily. Kate hated to think about how close she'd come to losing him. She had no clue how they were going to stop Sharp. Maybe Dick was right and they needed to track down Batman after all. If that was even possible.

"I can't believe you assholes just fucking left me there!" Jason came barging into the clinic, then stopped dead as he obviously got a good look at the state of Kate and Dick. "Oh… shit." He made the last word sound both impressed and worried at the same time.

Luke followed closely on his heels. Kate must have looked surprised, because he quickly said, "Where else would you go than your sister's clinic, within a few blocks of the last place we had contact? Assuming you were alive, of course. Which I was, assuming, I mean. I picked up Jason, and here we are."

Kate sighed, feeling defeated. "For all the good it does us. We lost. Completely."

Luke smiled. She normally loved his optimism but wasn't feeling it now. But then he explained the reason behind it, "Except we haven't. Not yet. I figured it out, Kate, the whole thing."

Kate sat up straighter in bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Dick was awake now and listening too.

"The comms didn't just fail. I mean, come on, I'm good at this stuff. It's not just going to crap out on you when you need it most." Luke walked closer to their beds, speaking emphatically now. "It was Sharp. It's how his powers work. He's why we couldn't talk to each other."

Even Dick joined in. "How? Even Batman couldn't figure it out."

With Dick's emphasis on 'Batman,' Kate realized there was still one secret she should keep from Mary: telling her that Bruce was Batman would only put her in danger. Not to mention that it wasn't their secret to tell. Although Mary was smart; she'd probably put two and two together regardless of Kate's intentions.

Luke continued his story. "I think Batman wasn't looking in the right place. I've adjusted the frequency all of our communications tech works on since he left, in order to avoid new developments in jammers and such. I think I just lucked on the one that Sharp affects. See, he emits some sorta energy field around him that I'm guessing he can direct it where he wants it to go." Luke was really into his explanation now, but Kate had to admit she was fascinated by what he'd put together. "Coincidentally, it's like how bats see in the dark, like sonar. It reflects off of surfaces. With Sharp, the more flat, the more it just bounces back. But when it hits an edge, like a really really sharp knife, the energy must wrap around it instead. That allows Sharp to basically control any blade, any piece of glass, anything with a thin edge. And the energy just also happens to completely disrupt the radio frequency we've been using."

"So that wasn't a bomb he hit us with?" The question had been bugging Kate.

"I don't think so, or not a normal one, anyway. I think it was something to shoot a bunch of knives up into the air where he could grab them with his power and fling them at you. And he can fling them really hard."

"Hard enough to slice through our suits," Dick commented.

Watching Dick lying in the bed, seeing the cuts on Jason's face, and feeling her own aching body, it hit home just how dangerous Sharp was. "I've only ever known one other thing that could cut through the Bat suit."

Luke nodded, obviously remembering the prototype gun as well. "Yeah, Sharp's scary strong. But it also gives us the way to stop him." He looked very satisfied with himself. "I know how to detect his energy field when he's using it, and that means I can counter it. Negate his power with an equal and opposite force, basically. We can take him down."

Kate looked around at them, bloodied but maybe not so defeated. "Let's do it."

Before she could continue though, Mary turned to Kate. "Um, maybe it's time to bring the Crows in on this?"

"No, with Dad locked up, most of the Crows just aren't good enough; they'd be cannon fodder." Though at this point Kate would have appreciated the help.

"Okay, then how about Sophie? She kicks ass and already knows the truth about you, right?" Mary definitely sounded a bit hurt by that fact, so Kate was quick to reassure her.

"She did, yeah, but then I convinced her otherwise. So this would mean a confession, for real this time." Kate was torn. She didn't like lying, to any of the people she cared about, and she'd always been determined to tell Sophie the truth, partially out of spite since Sophie hadn't been able to do the same for her. But then things were even more complicated between her and Sophie since Sophie had separated from Tyler. But Mary was right; they needed help, and Sophie could fight.

\------------------------------------------------

"I need your help."

Kate was waiting for Sophie in her apartment, standing in the dark dressed in her Batwoman suit but with the mask and wig in her hand. She figured it was best to cut to the chase.

Sophie flipped on a light switch and just stared. She was holding her gun, likely having realized that someone was in her apartment before Kate had even had a chance to speak.

Sophie looked hurt. "You lied to me." 

"Yeah, about this I did. But never about anything else."

Sophie sighed. "So you're only telling me because now you need my help?"

"Yeah." Kate was trying to figure out what to say to ease the hurt but was struggling with the weight of everything between them.

"I've barely seen you the past few weeks."

Kate was thrown by the change in direction. "I didn't want to get in your way."

"In my way? Of doing what?"

Kate felt it was obvious. "Deciding."

Sophie swallowed and stepped closer. "Deciding between you and Tyler, you mean?"

"This has to be your decision. For good this time." She meant it, too. Kate didn't know if this was a second chance for them, but she could tell that Sophie hadn't figured out her own mind yet. She needed to if there was even going to be a chance for them.

"And if I pick you, will you be there?"

A big part of Kate wanted to say yes, but she was so afraid of getting hurt again. She reached out and gently touched Sophie's face. Damn, she'd missed doing that. "It doesn't work that way. You have to decide for you first."

Sophie closed her eyes, then opened them and stepped back out of Kate's reach. "You said something about needing my help."

Kate nodded; they'd have to pick this up later. "Yeah, I really do."

"Alright, I'm in."

\------------------------------------------------

This time, the fight against Sharp went much better. Mostly.

Sharp seemed prepared for them, but then, they were also prepared for him. They'd split up to hit Sharp's people from all sides at once. Kate went high: a small window on the second floor leading into a staircase that went down to the offices Sharp had set up shop in. It put her right into the middle of the fray, as Sophie burst through the front door, Jason through the rear, and Dick in from a side delivery entrance.

Sharp didn't bother to wait for them to get through his goons first. As Kate was locked in combat with three of them, she heard the broken sound of Luke come through her comms. "Oh shit… now… counter."

Kate hoped that meant he was deploying his counter-attack: small devices attached to her and Dick's belts to emit the energy signal that was supposed to cancel Sharp's abilities.

Her hopes were dashed a moment later as blades came flying at them; Sharp didn't seem to care that his own men were in the way of them. Kate dodged the two weapons sent in her direction, then threw herself to the ground as they reversed direction and came back toward her like boomerangs. She saw Sophie fling herself away from another blade and unfortunately put herself directly in the path of a large, scarred man who looked ready to kill anyone who got near him. He picked Sophie up and threw her in Sharp's direction, where she crashed into a small table, shattering it and landing in a dazed heap. At the same time, Kate heard a pained noise from Dick. Whether it was his existing wounds acting up or a new one, she couldn't tell. She worried that even with all of them working together, it wouldn't be enough.

Just then, Luke cut back in. "Got it! Yes!" His voice came through crystal clear as all the blades Sharp was still controlling dropped out of the air. Sharp looked stunned, then annoyed.

"Well, fuck it, who needs knives anyway?" Sharp pulled out a gun and pointed it right at Sophie, who was still trying to catch her breath from the impact knocking the wind out of her. Kate was still on the ground, with no way to do anything to stop him.

Just as Sharp pulled the trigger, Kate saw Jason charge from behind Sharp, leaping into the air to come down on top of him. The blow was enough to throw Sharp's aim off, and the bullet only hit a wall instead of Sophie. Jason was definitely Robin, Kate realized, as the memory of Bruce and Dick's exploits when she was young—before she'd known that it was them behind such stories—went flashing through her mind. He moved just like Dick did, with that same recklessness and confidence. Kate pulled herself upright to rejoin the fight, determined not to leave Jason on his own. Dick did as well, although she noticed him favoring one side.

Fighting together, and with Sharp powerless, they made quick work of him. He'd actually managed to take out most of his remaining goons with his own blades, letting the four of them concentrate on Sharp himself. It turned out that he wasn't much of a fighter up close and weaponless.

Just as Kate struck the final blow, leading to Sharp eagerly surrendering, Luke's voice returned to her ear. "So, I take it everything worked? Because no one's said anything in a while, and I was starting to get worried."

"Yeah, we're good here." She looked around at her friends, new and old. "We all are."

\------------------------------------------------

"Jason, I'd like you to come home." Dick looked nervous saying it, like he wasn't sure how Jason would respond. Kate wondered how he would, as well.

"Yeah, what the fuck does that mean?" Jason just looked terrified; he clearly wasn't good at handling people wanting him around.

But Dick stood before him as a leader and a friend, as family. "We can't be the Titans without a Robin; it just wouldn’t be right."

It was so obvious that Jason wanted nothing other than to say yes, but for a moment Kate doubted whether he had the courage to do so. Face up against impossible opponents in a fight, sure, but acknowledge that he cared about other people? That was much much harder. He didn't disappoint her, though. "Yeah, fine. Whatever. I'll bail you assholes out."

Kate could see relief in Dick's eyes, although he kept his otherwise face placid until Jason turned away.

Just Kate and Dick were left now. Time to say goodbye. "I meant to tell you: I like your new look."

Dick smiled, nodding at her. "I like yours too. I'd love to see the look on Bruce's face when he sees it."

Kate chuckled, not disagreeing.

Then Dick scowled a bit. "I do need help with a new name, though. I'm not Robin anymore."

"I went with _Batwoman_ ; I'm not exactly skilled at this kind of thing." Kate thought for a second. "But I like the whole flying creatures theme. Just nothing bat-related."

"No, definitely not. My favorite name for Bruce was always the Dark Knight anyway. Much more intimidating."

"Maybe something night? You could run with that."

"It's going to take some thought." Dick looked at peace; for maybe the first time since she'd known him. "It was really good to see you, Kate."

"Likewise. You know you've always got a home here, right?"

Dick scrunched his face, like Gotham wasn't a place he felt quite comfortable in any longer. Kate just grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "Fine, go be a Titan, then."

Dick whispered in her ear, "And you be Batwoman. Gotham's lucky to have you."

He pulled away, giving her a nod goodbye as he went to join Jason, who was already on his motorcycle and clearly ready to get away from any more emotional awkwardness. Kate waved to them both. They'd all made a great team—and without Bruce's help in the end—but between them all, they had two cities to defend. Her own team had grown significantly in the last few days, due to Mary and Sophie now knowing the truth. They shared her secret with Luke, her partner in all of this. Kate didn't know entirely where she stood with Sophie—that was going to take some real figuring out on both their parts—but, in the end, she realized that with all of them together Gotham didn't need Batman anymore; in fact, maybe it had even found something better to replace him with.


End file.
